Exploring The District

What a long, but fun day in the Nation’s Capital!

I absolutely LOVE Washington DC. It is the only city where I can go multiple times a year and feel like I am always learning something new. It is also the only city where I feel completely comfortable walking around alone and know the Metro system like the back of my hand.

This morning I got up early to knock out a 3.33 mile run around my aunt/uncle/cousin’s neighborhood. It was slow and hilly (I need to start doing hill work ASAP, especially if I am planning on doing that June half-marathon), but it was 38 degrees and wonderful. I can’t remember the last time I ran in cool weather so I welcomed it with open arms.

After a warm shower, breakfast, and some last minute work, I caught the Metro out to DC, arriving on Capitol Hill at around 11:30.

I love Capitol Hill and always make an effort to go up there whenever I am in town. I am very into politics (although I hate talking about it in public) and I love the energy on Capitol Hill. It is also a great starting spot to walk down the National Mall to the different monuments.

It was a cool and overcast day, which I loved, but was a little underdressed in my dress and light sweater. However, I made the best of it because Florida has been so unbearably hot lately, and it is only going to get worse. I walked for about an hour down the mall, taking pictures and soaking up DC.

I was planning on walking all the way down to pay a visit to Mr. Lincoln and Mr. Jefferson, but ran out of time (I will try to do it tomorrow).

I had an appointment at 2pm with a student ambassador at The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services and needed to hop on the Metro over to campus. I had a little time to spare before my appointment so I dodged into Whole Foods (which was a ZOO!) and grabbed a salad from the hot bar. (Any school with a Whole Foods within steps of campus is a winner in my book!)

The appointment with the ambassador went well. I had a lot of my questions answered and a lot of information thrown at me. This is not the first time I have been on campus (I went back in December 2010), but this time I actually was able to talk with someone within the department, which was nice. I have a good feeling about GWU and I think being in DC will give me many opportunities to work within the District, but of course I need to add a few more schools to my list.

After my appointment, I walked around campus a little before heading over to nearby Georgetown. I remembered from my last visit that there is a Trader Joe’s in the area and relied on past memory to guide me to it.

What amazes me is that I can remember shortcuts to get around tourists and different restaurants in a city where I don’t live, but STILL can not find my way around Jacksonville, where I have lived for close to three years. Funny how the mind works, huh?

I picked up a few fun items that I can not find in Florida, but I did not go crazy.

After some exploring, I headed back onto the Metro where my aunt picked me up. The remainder of the evening was spent with my family, including a visit from my Uncle (Step-Uncle?) Robert, whom I have not seen since 2005. We went to a great Greek restaurant where I had some great, authentic Greek food. I’ll spare you the pictures since they did not some out well on my phone.

With that, I am off to bed! I have another long day tomorrow, including the race expo and lunch with another blogger!!!

Hope you all have a fantastic weekend!

What is your favorite city/ cities to visit? Besides DC, I love Chicago and London!